Prevent Infections If germs get into your central line and into your blood stream, it can cause a life-threatening Glossary infection. There are many ways to keep this from happening: The Patient Should : PROTECTING YOUR PORT A • Wash your hands often. CATHETER • Do not touch your line or dressing unless necessary. • Keep your dressing clean and dry. • Shower daily and cover your dressing when showering. The Nurse Should : • Wash hands before and after caring for the central line. • Scrub the hub every time the line is used. • If using site scrub, turn it 8—10 times. • If using alcohol prep, scrub for 15 seconds. Allow it to dry. Aqua guard shield: used to Site Scrub: Used to clean the keep your dressing dry. hub 8 turns or 10 seconds For the Dressing Chan ge the Nurse Should : • Use a mask and special gloves. • Change the dressing every 7 days. What is a Port a Catheter? • Change the dressing if bloody, wet, or loose. I Port-a-Catheter is a small medical device that is Using Sterile Techniq ue means: Biopatch: Protective disk that Sterile Gloves placed under the skin. A plastic hollow tube is fixed to • Face masks must be worn by patient and prevents germs from from the port and passes through to the largest vein near anyone within three feet of the bed during growing. Good for 7 days. Must be insertion and dressing changes. Wear sterile the heart. used on Port A Cath if needle will gloves. be in more than 8 hours. • Use a sterile dressing kit. • Scrub the “exit site” and the skin around the central line back and forth for at least 30 seconds and let dry. Port A Catheter Do’s and Don’ts When To Call Your Doctor: Port-a-Catheter is a small medical device that is placed under the skin. A plastic line is fixed to the port and Do’s Don’ts Signs of Infection passes through to the largest vein near the heart. It may • New pain or tenderness. have 1 or 2 lumens. • Return to normal • Do not lift more than activities after port the doctor ordered. • Any redness around your port. incision has healed. • No swimming in pool, • Drainage, pus, oozing, or wetness around the • Have the dressing lakes, or ocean if catheter. changed at least every needle is in place. seven days when port • A foul odor coming from the dressing. • is accessed. Do not touch your port while it is accessed. • A swollen face, neck, or arm on the side of the central • Keep your dressing dry. line. It is ok to use plastic wrap and tape or • A fever of 100.4F or greater. special gloves called • Incision site that does not heal. Aqua Guard Gloves as Patient should keep their inserted device identification needed. card and discharge instructions with them. • Keep your port line Signs of a Blood Clot • A special needle, called a Huber needle, will be lumens close to your used to access your port. Your port is always • Swelling and/or a new pain in the arm, neck, or face body while accessed. entered using a sterile kit, while wearing sterile on the side of the line. gloves, and a mask. Ok to use tape. • The needle can be left in place for up to seven • Keep the inserted days with a special protective dressing and use device identification Signs of Bleeding of a Biopatch. card and discharge • Dressing wet with blood. • Can be used for IV fluids, chemotherapy, instructions with you at antibiotics, blood products or intravenous all times. • A bruise that gets bigger around your line. nutrition. It may also be used to draw blood. A “power-injectable” port can be used for intravenous contrast. • This catheter is inserted and removed by a surgeon or an interventional radiologist. Who to call in case of emergency: .